ENGLISH
REFERENCE

turk

n. countable
A2 Elementary US //ˈtɝk// turk Archaic

n. a person from the country of Turkey. You also use this word to describe someone whose family comes from there.

n. a person of Turkish nationality or ethnic origin. When referring to the historical inhabitants of the Ottoman Empire, it is often used in a broader political sense.


SIMPLE

My friend is a Turk who lives in Istanbul.

CONTEXTUAL

The young Turk moved to Berlin to study engineering and eventually opened his own firm.

COMPLEX

While the term historically referred to subjects of the Ottoman Empire, in modern usage it specifically identifies a citizen of the Republic of Turkey or a member of the Turkic ethnic group.

Origin

From Middle English Turke, Turk, from Old French Turc, from Medieval Latin Turcus, from Byzantine Greek Τοῦρκος (Toûrkos), from Classical Persian تُرْک (turk), from Middle Persian [script needed] (twlk' /⁠turk⁠/), from Old Turkic 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰜 (t²ür²k̥). See Proto-Turkic *tür(ü)k for more.

Usage

Always capitalized as it refers to a specific nationality and ethnic group.

Pitfall

He is a turkish.He is a Turk. / He is Turkish.Learners often use the adjective 'Turkish' as a count noun; use 'Turk' for the person or 'Turkish' as the adjective.

Idioms2 entries

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